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Greetings in the blessed name of the Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father. May their grace, peace, and mercy be yours in abundance! As another year has passed and a new year has dawned, I began to wonder if I might make a “New Year’s resolution.” I’m not normally a person who makes New Year’s resolutions, but I thought I’d give it a shot as 2026 begins. Many things come to mind: daily exercise, less TV, limiting social media and internet intake, or cutting down on the goodies

A CHRISTMAS STORY   The giving of gifts has been an important part of the celebration of Christmas for centuries. Could it be that this tradition began partly because of the gifts that the Magi gave to the infant Jesus on that first Christmas morning so many years ago?   As I think back over the years in which my family has exchanged gifts, the year 1963 stands out. My father had died in October (I was 6). Finances were tight so Mom informed me and my brother Ray that we mig

71st ANNUAL MEETING HIGHLIGHTS   *26 Messengers, 3 visitors   ·      Approval of the 2026 Budget ($83,000)   ·      Vertical Church Gallipolis accepted into the SVBA   ·      Vertical Church Jackson accepted into the SVBA   ·      Approval for the sale of Missional Community Church to Mosaic Church Portsmouth   ·      Josh Remy preached a great annual sermon on leadership (learning from the life of Moses)   ·      Approved unanimously all reports   ·      Added Josh Fisher to

As a kid it was the expectation of my mother that my siblings would do their best to make it home for Thanksgiving. That meant that our house would fill up with people, great food, mom’s pumpkin and coconut cream pies, and grandma’s turkey dressing. It was a time of reliving family memories, sharing family pictures, and playing our favorite card game, Rook! As Dorothy said, “there’s no place like home.” And I would add “there’s no better thing than to spend time with family.”

I still remember the day I sat in my truck, parked behind the church, hands gripping the steering wheel, trying to convince myself to...